danieltien

Every time I think my opinion of him can't sink lower, he does yet another thing to show his true colors. I'm sickened that I ever was a fan of his, and nauseated that our country's space program depends on his whims.

Summary Twitter suspended the accounts of several journalists who have been covering billionaire Elon Musk, who acquired the social network in October, and that of upstart rival service Mastodon. Late Thursday, accounts for reporters from publications including the Washington Post, the New York Times, Mashable, CNN and Substack were listed as blocked and their tweets were no longer visible, with the company’s standard notice saying it “suspends accounts that violate the Twitter rules.” Twitter also suspended the feed of social-media site Mastodon, which earlier had posted a link on its Twitter page to an account on its own site that uses publicly available flight data to track Musk’s private jet. On Wednesday, Twitter had suspended multiple accounts that followed private jet locations, including Musk’s. Quotes My thoughts So much for "free speech absolutism". Elon is happy to post info that doxes former employees and put them in danger and then say "oops", but people who report on people who post publicly available data on flights? (Wacko who approached his kid's car was in a car not near an airport), that's a no go. Sources https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/15/technology/twitter-suspends-journalist-accounts-elon-musk.html https://www.theverge.com/2022/12/15/23512004/elon-musk-starts-banning-critical-journalists-from-twitter https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2022/12/15/twitter-journalists-suspended-musk/ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-12-16/twitter-suspends-accounts-of-mastodon-journalists-covering-musk?srnd=premium

Summary As vaccinations start rolling out, verification of one's immunization status is going to be key in restarting areas of the economy stalled out by the extensive COVID-19 safety measures. Having a ready record of receiving the full vaccine is a lot more convenient than waiting 48-72 hours for a negative PCR test result. Many employers are considering whether to make proof of immunization mandatory once their employee priority group has access to the vaccine. There are, however, a significant proportion of the population hesitant to receive the vaccine, and a subset that is adamantly opposed. Quotes My thoughts Currently, the status quo for vaccine recipients is a paper wallet card distributed by the CDC, where the brand and date of the primary and booster shots are recorded. These have no anti-counterfeit measures and there's already rumblings in the anti-vaccination community about producing fake ones. (Anti-maskers were producing fake cards certifying that the holder was exempt from wearing masks) A digital passport with instant verification is a possible viable solution, and is being tested in Los Angeles County (pop. 10 million). Obviously there are the issues regarding data security of health information, but Apple seems to be well-prepared for that, having a secure wallet system in iOS--even designing their health app/tracking subsystems such that no biometrics or identifiable information leaves the phone (or watch). Sources https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-28/los-angeles-vaccine-recipients-can-put-the-proof-in-apple-wallet

The VR game Valve should have released instead.... Featuring @AlexTheGreatish.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/15/technology/pewdiepie-new-zealand-shooting.html It's unfair to PewDiePie that his name got dragged into this tragedy, but at the same time one has to wonder why he was mentioned in the first place. I'm wondering to what extent Internet personalities are responsible for cultivating a following among certain segments and cross-sections of audiences based on their behavior--and what the follow-on effect is in a medium where the controllers (YouTube, Facebook, Twitter) seem to have no desire to truly take responsibility for the platforms they create.

From Wired UK: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/transparent-influencers-youtube-instagram The article focuses on mostly fashion/makeup influencers. Some thoughts: 1. Linus has been doing this disclosure transparency thing for YEARS in WAN show discussions and dedicated videos: LTT Honest Answers Playlist (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8mG-RkN2uTxJiNGHnLrb-i-XP6s3y87K) 2. The UK seems to have the most stringent requirements for disclosures; the FTC has some regulations in the United States, but they're pretty toothless--most recently evidenced by idiot vloggers like Ricegum and Jake Paul pushing gambling loot boxes by posting videos of them "winning" prizes pre-seeded by Mystery Brand.

Reading through the responses--most of these are talking about Apple "turning off" the existing user base if they jettison the X86/AMD64 architecture based on the current slate of applications that depend on the current setup. It's really early days, you guys. So a little history: During the Steve Jobs days, the main issue that Apple had with IBM and PowerPC was its inability to efficiently scale after reaching G5. The PowerMac G5 towers had MASSIVE power and heat issues and some models even required water cooling. Some of these models developed leaks in their cooling loops, causing a lot of problems with enterprise customers. A couple of things really frustrated Jobs about being stuck with the Power architecture and being beholden to an outside source for the chips. First, after announcing that they would launch 3GHz models within a year, they kept delaying until they gave up because IBM couldn't produce an acceptable chip; G5 models topped out at 2.7GHz. The G5 version of the iMac was famous for being like a desktop space heater. This all meant that despite plans and promises, Apple couldn't produce a G5 PowerBook laptop. (Intel had a similar architecture-power consumption issue with their NetBurst architecture; Prescott chips were famous for overheating, causing Intel to finally switch to Core) The fascinating thing about MacOS that a lot of people don't know (or forgot) was that its Unix core was based on NeXTSTEP, which was an OS that NeXT, the company Jobs started after leaving Apple, created for their computers. The manufacturing computers part didn't work out for them, so before being acquired by Apple, they were an OS company. Jobs' daily driver machine was not an Apple Powerbook, but an IBM Thinkpad running NeXTSTEP. The word was that he hated the computers Apple was producing during his period of absence). NeXSTSTEP and the OpenStep successor API was already ported to the X86 architecture. Not sure who was responsible for the decision, (probably Avie Tevanian, the architect of NeXTSTEP and SVP of software engineering when he came over to Apple with Jobs), but they decided to secretly build an x86 version of OSX for every version of the PowerPC OS they released. A major reason why the PowerPC to Intel transition happened so smoothly was that most of the heavy lifting in the OS redesign was already done, and they already had experience migrating people from the old MacOS Classic to the Unix-based OSX. Most applications developed in XCode just needed to be recompiled with minor modifications to create a Universal binary that had could run on both PPC and x86 computers. Jobs famously announced the transition by announcing that the entire developer keynote he was giving was already working on a version of OSX running on an Intel Pentium 4 box. The dev kits were released, with an Intel processor board mounted in a modified PowerMac G5 case. One of the things people noticed most was the fact that the board/processor was laughably tiny compared with the latest and greatest G5: Fast forward a little over a year later, and Apple announces that they've completed the transition across their product lines. PPC support would be phased out over the next several years. For many years, the Intel-Apple relationship would be very fruitful, even to the point where Jobs approached them about developing a mobile processor for the product that would eventually become the iPhone. And then the Intel Tick-Tock processor cadence faltered. People commonly relied on upgrading their MacBooks on the expectation that a major processor upgrade would justify the arguably expensive decision to buy a new laptop. The common thread that they were plagued with back then as they are faced with today, is that they depended on regular processor upgrades for their product refresh cadences. Every new iOS device touts a new version of the A-series processor that promises a vastly improved "performance per watt" proposition. It's partially what allows Apple to offer similar or better app performance on their phone compared to an "equivalent" processored Android phone with more RAM. When Apple announced that iOS was based on not a watered-down custom mobile OS, but a version of the same MacOS kernel compiled for ARM, it definitely raised some eyebrows in the developer community. This is all a long way to reiterate that there's nothing to panic about... at least not yet. There are many valid complaints about their practices and priorities with respect to product design and engineering (e.g, keyboard design, loss of MagSafe, thermal design), but they have never released a new product that performed objectively worse than the one before. They release new categories to try out new things (e.g., the MacBook Air was their first product line to use the U-series processors, the 12" MacBook was the first to try out the m3/m5 processors). Their time window is long and allows them to move blocks around to see what the developer community does with it. They've never bet the company on a sudden and rapid pivot. They tend to sit back and allow others to try new technologies or trends (Microsoft UWP) first before coming up with their own refined variation. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. If Apple does transition the Mac platform to ARM, they won't try to replace your Core i7 MacBook Pro with an ARM version until they're confident that they have a processor that can match and outclass what they're replacing. Alright, lecture over. Back to grading papers.

Having worked with emergency medical services in the past, it's kind of weird (or troubling) that there wouldn't be any monitoring to see why there would be a change in call volume, or an increase in aborted calls. In the United States, if you call your local PSAP (public service answering point) using 9-1-1 and hang up, you will almost always get a call back to make sure you weren't inadvertently disconnected, still need help, or to get another chance at capturing location data via the E911 system. (Or to chew you or your parents out if you were prank calling). Even if it went to an IVR, public safety systems do monitor call logs--that part doesn't make sense, at least from an American perspective.

https://techcrunch.com/2019/02/28/facebook-research-teens/ When Apple shut down Facebook's "research program", it claimed to the press that less than 5% of the users were minors. Under questioning from the US Senate, however, they admit that it was a little closer to 18% From the Techcrunch article:

Taking apart or reverse engineering something in and of itself is not illegal--where Huawei is in trouble is that they broke a contract and probably a confidentiality covenant that covered the manner in which they were allowed to examine the sample. They held onto the piece longer than they were allowed to and took it out of the country--the former is a violation of the contract (a civil matter), and the latter is possibly a violation of export control laws and theft of trade secrets (possibly criminal). Since Huawei hasn't produced a product that is potentially infringing, there isn't exactly a patent infringement case here.... yet. As for pharma, patent law for pharma is a specific carve-out field defined by Congress. The drug itself has a marketing exclusivity period stipulated based on the type of drug and when it's filed for--which is separate from the patent period of 20 years. It may take 10-15 years just to get from the discovery or synthesis of the novel drug to the FDA clinical trials phase and approval. Exclusivity gives the firms a bankable term to recoup development costs since most of the patent protection period would have been eaten up by clinical testing and regulatory phases. Large-molecule (hormones, antibodies) drugs are relatively easy to characterize, but crazy difficult to synthesize in a manner that generics could assure exact behaviors, so the hang-up there tends not to be on the patents but in assuring the FDA that the competing product has the same effect profile as the original drug. In short, drugs are protected for their 1) Molecular structure, 2) Method of Manufacture/Synthesis, 3) Method of delivery (e.g., inhaler, autoinjector) 4) Marketing exclusivity.

I think as it turned out we just missed them when we got there for the tour and the meal. Linus had even been filming a video with Louis Rossman before he left to pick us up. The ride from the convention center itself took a bit over an hour. At last year's LTX, though, Steve was hanging out at the delidding booth for a few hours, so if you wanted to chat with him you could. Not sure about 2019's structure though.

Hey @CPotter, is the VIP ticket the same thing as last year's delidded ticket?

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-02-04/huawei-sting-offers-rare-glimpse-of-u-s-targeting-chinese-giant Chicago-based Akhan Semiconductor was in development of a potential competitor to Corning's Gorilla Glass, coating glass with a proprietary diamond nanoparticle medium. Huawei expressed interest in the product and agreed to a 60-day evaluation period, during which they promised not to damage the sample and return it on time. Months overdue, Akhan received their sample back, except that it was broken in pieces, with chunks missing. FBI lab testing found that it was hit with a high-powered laser in an attempt to reverse-engineer it. The FBI enlisted the executives in a sting operation that was conducted during the CES show in January, after which the San Diego headquarters of Huawei were raided. "...the government searched the Huawei lab in San Diego where Akhan's glass had been sent. The FBI raid was a secret, but not to Khan and Shurboff, who'd been receiving regular briefings of the investigation's progress through Akhan's lawyer, Renato Mariotti, a well-known former prosecutor who's now a partner at Thompson Coburn LLP. By then, they'd succeeded in getting Huawei representatives to admit, on tape, to breaking the contract with Akhan and, evidently, to violating U.S. export-control laws. Huawei did not respond to repeated requests for comment. This story is based on documents, including emails and text messages exchanged among Huawei, Akhan, and the FBI as well as reporting from the sting operation in Las Vegas and interviews with Khan and Shurboff."

To be honest, Linus invites so much of the sexual innuendo on purpose...

Best quote from the Bloomberg article:

Volume on their shares is low because they missed their filing deadlines back in August and were delisted from NASDAQ. They're only traded over-the-counter now.

Poor Discount @LinusTech:

Steve from Gamers Nexus and Jay from JayzTwoCents were there, and took part in the events. The guys from BSMods also had a booth where people could try their hand at bending hardpipe tubing. I even got to chat with Steve while I was delidding my CPU--it was pretty surreal.

This isn't a "tech" post per-se, but since LTT is a YouTube channel, and YouTube is a kind of "tech" this is kind of newsworthy. LTX2018 happened last weekend, and as an attendee, I can attest to the fact that it was a great success. Lots of people in attendance, lots of stuff to do, people to meet, and Linus even managed to drive his lambo home despite it being utterly destroyed with paint, glitter, and other art supplies. We got to delid CPUs under the watch of Steve from GamersNexus and Alex and Anthony from LMG. As a meet-up event, it was well-planned and executed--this stuff is HARD WORK. Kudos to @CPotter's wife Stephanie for coordinating the event. Now here's what happens when other YouTubers think they can do fan-driven meetups without proper planning and adequate security measures--one happening the same weekend as LTX: https://www.polygon.com/2018/7/18/17581452/fouseytube-hate-dies-love-arrives-bomb-threat-swatting-tanacon "Yousef Saleh Erakat, who records videos under the FouseyTube alias, hosted a free, last-minute concert on July 15 in the name of spreading love. In a podcast interview with controversial YouTuber Adam22, Erakat referred to Hate Dies, Love Arrives as the next Coachella, but noted that the event didn’t even have a venue five days before it was supposed to happen. The entire concert was thrown together in seven days. Erakat promised fans that artists like Snoop Dogg and Drake would perform at the iconic Greek Theater venue in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park area. He was then forced to cancel the show following an alleged bomb threat, according to Deadline, in what police are now referring to as a potential swatting incident." TanaCon was thrown together with more time--30 days, yet met with equally disastrous results: https://www.polygon.com/2018/6/23/17495718/tanacon-tana-mongeau-shane-dawson-disaster-vidcon-fyre-festival-dashcon https://www.theverge.com/2018/7/10/17528434/tanacon-how-tana-mongeau-good-times-michael-weist-shane-dawson-youtube-vidcon "Tana Mongeau’s attempt to hold her own convention was a disaster. Conjuring immediate comparisons to Fyre Fest, the YouTuber’s short-lived VidCon alternative promised free meet-and-greets, talks, and concerts. Instead, it delivered long lines, dehydration, and little to do. The event was canceled after its first full day, leaving fans who paid their way to Anaheim out hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars, with little hope for refunds. It also left many would-be attendees wondering if they’d been scammed." There's obviously a huge difference in the types of audiences these channels attract, but the responsibility to the people is the same when you seek to invite them, some from thousands of miles away, to an event that you host. If you were on the fence about going, I hope you will consider making the effort next year.

Hey @CPotter, In the delidding booth, are we only delidding our processors, or is there an opportunity to apply liquid metal or some other compound and test things?

Even though the Seattle consul office doesn't handle visa applications, they could help figure out what the issue is with the website. Consul visa processing in LA and NYC seems to be handled by a private company contracted to provide the services on behalf of Canada. Taking a look at the site, it looks like it uses Adobe's Acrobat web-connected forms. You can't use the web browser to view them--you'll need to download them and open them in an up-to-date version of Acrobat Reader. (You can't use a third-party reader, like Preview or Nitro). I downloaded them and opened them in Acrobat myself and they seemed to show up fine. From a fellow O/C ticketer, good luck!

Is gasoline at Costco Canada any cheaper? It tends to be cheaper than most chains here in the States, plus you get 3-4% back if you use a Costco branded credit card.

Why Max left LMG...

When Linus misses having Luke as his right hand man at LMG, he gets a little emo and remembers... and squeezes that pillow a little tighter, a little closer...

A notable tweet from @dennisliao: